Official 2008 Auto Racing thread (F1, Moto GP, WRC, NASCAR, etc)

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BMW Sauber and Williams look to have improved quite a bit, great race.

I just hope Hamilton does not run away with every race, otherwise it will be another Schumacher (boring) season.
 
Pimpwerx said:
Lap times today, and practice this week hasn't supported this argument. Winter testing is one thing, but they never put all the bits on the car until the first race. And even now, we're not gonna see the real racing packages until they return to Europe. I don't want to jump the gun, but has McLaren put a foot wrong yet? Besides cheating, they've not shown any willingness to slow down. OTOH, Ferrari's performance seems to have only slipped further since Schumacher's departure.

That and I'm fully on the Hamilton hype train. Been driving this bandwagon since Melbourne last year. So I guess I'm just a slight bit biased. ;) PEACE.

Albert Park has never been a Ferrari stronghold. I admit that Kimi/massa have not had the same impact as schu on input but Ferrari will be competitive the remainder of the way.

Hamilton drove great yesterday but he never had any pressure on him and he will make mistakes just as Kimi did.
 
Kowak said:
Albert Park has never been a Ferrari stronghold. I admit that Kimi/massa have not had the same impact as schu on input but Ferrari will be competitive the remainder of the way.

Hamilton drove great yesterday but he never had any pressure on him and he will make mistakes just as Kimi did.
When did you start watching F1?
 
I thought the McLaren looked great. Very smooth and steady, great race pace and no trouble in traffic. I must say, watching the drivers go around without TC was AWESOME! For once, I enjoyed the changes that took place. Next year we need big honking slicks and no more flip-ups and wing add ons. That BMW has wings on its flip-ups of its flip-ups.

The F2008 on the other hand was a totally other story. Felipe was a mess without TC and I wouldn't be surprised if all this replacement talk starts a downward spiral for the emotional Brazilian. Kimi just didn't have it after what happened in Qualifying, even though his opening lap was very "Senna at Donnington-esque".

I also wonder how much longer the Williams will be competitive as the development cycles/budgets of McLaren, BMW and Ferrari will soon allow them to claw back time that Williams won't.

Sea Bass was solid in his debut, I hope that quiets the rumbling that he doesn't belong in F1. The guy is a great driver and would have been here a lot quicker if Prost didn't fold. That Toro Rosso looks pretty solid as well. Vettel might challenge for the odd podium if you don't look out. (Unless Ferrari dump Massa and grab him as the current rumor of the month is stating)

As much as I hate to admit it, the Macca and Hamilton look amazingly solid and reliable. I was a HUGE McLaren fan back when Kimi drove for them (I'm a Tifoso now as Kimi is my favorite driver) but those HORRIBLE reliability problems that cost Kimi TWO world championships left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Great drive from Alonso as well, who obviously had a uncompetitive shit car. People seem to be forgetting that before Lewis came on to the scene, Fernando was Lewis. 'Nando was the guy taking it to the established champion (Schumi) and was the young prodigy. I hate to see how people have soured on him as NONE of us know exactly what went on behind closed doors at McLaren. We only know what we heard from the majorly British press that cover F1. To see the true pace of the R28, we only need look at the young Piquet, who did nothing to impress anyone this weekend. Atleast Lewis was right up there with Alonso right away showing his talent immediately.

Its going to be a fun season guys, lets hope we stay free from scandal and letting championships being decided by Charlie Whiting and get everything settled on the track!

Forza Ferrari & KIMI!!!
 
Pterion said:
When did you start watching F1?

Obviously longer then you, I believe they have won it the most out of the current teams but havent always brought both cars home. Compared to other tracks ferrari wouldnt go there and exect to dominate.
 
Pterion said:
Apparently not, as you don't remember when Melbourne was a Ferrari stronghold.

99,00,01,02.

99-Schu qualified 3rd finished 8th 1 lap down 0 points, eddie won it for Ferrari. Mclarens had problems that caused them to retire.

00-ferrari dominated the weekend

01-first and third

02 schu won, rubens DNF.

I would never say it is a stronghold, we won there but it was not always because of our great performance compared to everyone else.
 
So you're ignoring the 2004/2007 performances?

Using that logic, Monza isn't a Ferrari stronghold since Macca had a 1-2 there last year, amirite?
 
Pterion said:
So you're ignoring the 2004/2007 performances?

Using that logic, Monza isn't a Ferrari stronghold since Macca had a 1-2 there last year, amirite?

Just as a Ferrari fan its not a race I pencil in for a win. We win there but a stronghold no.
 
Spain,Turkey,US use to be, Canada(even though havent won there the last few years), France,Monza, China are all strong Ferrari tracks.
 
excellent race. good to see rosberg/williams my favourite team on the podium.

btw
what did coulthard say to louise ... something Massa shit if I remember. They cut it out of the tsn replay here in Canada :lol
 
JeanAlesi said:
excellent race. good to see rosberg/williams my favourite team on the podium.

btw
what did coulthard say to louise ... something Massa shit if I remember. They cut it out of the tsn replay here in Canada :lol

As per F1Live.com:

David Coulthard turned the airwaves blue on Sunday after colliding with Felipe Massa in the Australian Grand Prix.

Plenty of carbon fibre was shed throughout the field at Albert Park as the 2008 season kicked off, but Red Bull's Coulthard was clearly the most furious of the retirees as the media scrambled for live comments.

To a reporter for ITV, Coulthard said that Massa should take full responsibility for the crash after they came together at turn one.

"If he doesn't, then I'm gonna kick three colours of shit out of the little bastard," he half joked.

But Massa, the Brazilian driver, risked incurring the Scotsman's wrath by refusing to apologise.


"He should just go and watch the television instead," the 26-year-old said. "I was on the inside, I did nothing wrong," he told reporters.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali did not want to wade into the argument, but he pointed out that "race control didn't take any action."

:lol
 
Kowak said:
99,00,01,02.

99-Schu qualified 3rd finished 8th 1 lap down 0 points, eddie won it for Ferrari. Mclarens had problems that caused them to retire.

00-ferrari dominated the weekend

01-first and third

02 schu won, rubens DNF.

I would never say it is a stronghold, we won there but it was not always because of our great performance compared to everyone else.

Reliability is one thing. Pure race pace is another. Melbourne, particlarly the final sector was a lock for both our cars back in the day. Both some 0.5 - 1.0s faster there, that was where nearly all our laptime advantage came from.

Context.

1996
The false dawn that was Jacques Villeneuve. Ferrari was pants.

1997
Michael managed a lucky 2nd after Cheques fucked up at the start and Frentzen's Williams had a brake failure. Coulthard wins Bridgestone's first race in F1.

1998
Michael DNF. Swirvin' came home a distant 3rd as Bridgestone gave McLaren a dominant tyre.

1999
McLaren's quicker, they fuck up. Swirvin' capitalises, Michael has reliability issues.

2000
McLaren fucked up and Michael capitalised.

2001
Was the first time we were the fastest package.

2002
The Ferraristone era began. It was utterly riduculous. Had Rubens not been taken out in that first corner accident it was an easy 1-2 in the previous year's car, that was a well over a 1s/lap faster :lol

2003
Before the rain and Rubens crashing due to hitting it + oil both cars were well over 1s/lap faster. Michael was still the fastest guy on the track with his bargeboards off.

2004
LOL. Brundle's commentary after lap 5: "Schumacher goes over the line with a twenty-four-one, WAY quicker than pole position (:lol), Barrichello follows him through albeit just 10 thousandths off. They're lapping seconds quicker than everyone else. It's like they're in a different formula James."

2005
Bridgestone owned for the first time ever at Albert Park.

2006
Wrong tyre choice but as soon as they warmed up Michael was the fastest guy on the track till he binned it.

2007.
Kimi-cruise.

2008.
what what what.

Melbourne has suited the Ferrari over the majority of the last decade. It's a track that fits the cars characteristics well. Frankly Ferrari went the wrong way on setup this weekend after a solid FP1.
 
Massa just said he shifted onto 1st gear instead of 2nd when leaving turn 1, that's why he spun off. I CAN HAS MY TRACTION CONTROLS? :lol
 
LusDekkar said:
P1040478.jpg

Kimi's car at the end of pit lane


last years livery was much better, the white just ruins the car and there are too much blank spaces where the Malboro barcodes used to be......
 
jey_16 said:
last years livery was much better, the white just ruins the car and there are too much blank spaces where the Malboro barcodes used to be......

I think the makeshift livery with nothing on the nose or rear wing had to do with the late announcement of Etihad coming aboard as a sponsor on the back of the rear wing and barge boards. I agree about the white Marlboro barcode on the engine cover though, too much white. I liked the slanted barcode used last year.
 
h3ro said:
I think the makeshift livery with nothing on the nose or rear wing had to do with the late announcement of Etihad coming aboard as a sponsor on the back of the rear wing and barge boards. I agree about the white Marlboro barcode on the engine cover though, too much white. I liked the slanted barcode used last year.

definatly, last years Ferrari was probably the best looking in a long time....especially when they changed to the darker red

ferrari1.jpg


ferrari2.jpg


ferrari3.jpg


raikkonen1-lg.jpg


raikkonen1-lg.jpg
 
jey_16 said:
definatly, last years Ferrari was probably the best looking in a long time....especially when they changed to the darker red

I thought for a moment I'd clicked on the GT5 thread by mistake. :D
 
Yes, F1 to BBC. hopefully they dont hire James Fucking Allen.
I nearly got sick watching Oz.

'Heikki is doing his job, his bodyguard role, playing tall gunner for (sweet sweet) Lewis!'

'Alonso, the aggressor of last year!'

'I love anthony hamilton'!'
 
Weren't ITV part-way through a 5 year contract? I guess Brundle must have pissed off Bernie on the pitwalks one too many times.
Hopefully the people in charge of the ITV F1 website move to the BBC, because they've been pretty good the last couple of years.
 
Yeah ITV coverage is shiteeeee!! Way too many ad breaks for my liking.
BBC have the whole package, TV, radio & net coverage so should be ace from next year.
If they have HD on FTA next year that would be the icing on the cake.
 
I was so happy when i heard the news this morning :D
HD? And I hope to god James Allen doesnt transfer over.
And will they bring back the Fleetwood Mac intro?! :)
 
Am I actually the one who enjoys ITV's coverage? Ok there are ads breaking it apart but it's chock full of content and very enjoyable. And the ads during the race are very short. And it's not in HD.
 
I wasn't keen on ITV's coverage when I lived in the UK, but now i'm in Australia I would kill for it. Channel Ten was great last weekend, 7 hours coverage on both qualifying and race day but for the rest of the races it isn't shown until the very late on sunday, even for races in our timezone :(
 
Some lame statistics concerning MALAYSIAN GP.

Code:
Good to know --> 

GPs in Malaysia: 9 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007).

Last years top3: 1. [B]Fernando Alonso[/B], 2. [B]Lewis Hamilton[/B], 3. [B]Kimi Räikkönen[/B].

Last years fastest lap: [B]Lewis Hamilton[/B].


Driver statistics -->

Most Wins: [B]Michael Schumacher[/B] 3 wins (2000, 2001, 2004).
Most Polepositions: [B]Michael Schumacher[/B] 5 poles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004).
Most fastest laps: [B]Mika Hakkinen[/B] 2 (2000, 2001), [B]Michael Schumacher[/B] 2 (1999, 2003), [B]Juan-Pablo Montoya[/B] 2 (2002, 2004).

Team statistics -->

Most Wins: [B]Ferrari[/B] 4 wins (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004).
Most Polepositions: [B]Ferrari[/B] 6 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007).
Most positions in top3: [B]Ferrari [/B]10 positions in top3 (1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2001 (2), 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007).
Most fastest laps: [B]McLaren[/B] 4 (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007).
 
I like ITVs coverage. I skip over the blundell/ryder shit, but James allen isnt' that bad, and I love Martin Brundle - I hope the BBC poach him.

oh and... HD HD HD HD !!!! please BBC.
 
hmm i think a lot of you have either forgotten how bad the bbc's coverage was or didn't watch it back then because the itv coverage completely trounces it. obviously part of it has to do with technology and how sports broadcasting has improved vastly over the years but still the itv team is great (barring james allen), really hope martin brundle and a few others make the switch although anything will be better than murray walker and john watson, at least there wont be any more advert breaks though.
 
Timbuktu said:
Formula One to return to BBC TV
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7306123.stm

woot! ITV was starting to get on my nerves, hopefully this would mean HD as well.

WooHoo!

If they've got any sense they'll employ Ben Edwards and Martin Brundle as the commentary team and leave those four other bellends (Allen, Ryder, Blundell and Kravitz) and the pitlane dog (Goodman) rotting at ITV.

F1 is Home :D

What I hope for:

- Choose your own camera feed ala Sky's previous F1 coverage via the red button.
- All practice sessions - red button
- HD
- The Chain by Fleetwood Mac :D
 
Error in Melbourne raice.

No car is permitted to enter the pits until all cars are lined up behind the safety car in race order.

Sebastian Bourdais was 500 meters away from the car linen and still they opened the pit lane and Sebastian could make he's pitstop before other drivers. Other drivers had to make one extra lap.
 
Times from first practice at Sepang track for Malaysian Grand Prix:

1. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari one minute 35.392 seconds
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:36.459
3. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.556
4. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:36.578
5. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.626
6. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:37.022
7. Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 1:37.034
8. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:37.218
9. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:37.282
10. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:37.540
11. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:37.649
12. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1:37.649
13. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:37.776
14. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:37.782
15. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:38.219
16. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:38.232
17. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:38.707
18. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:38.798
19. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:39.046
20. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:40.178
21. Anthony Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda 1:40.351
22. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:41.269

Second practice times:

1. Hamilton 1:35.055
2. Massa 1:35.206
3. Raikkonen 1:35.428
4. Button 1:36.037
5. Vettel 1:36.474
6. Trulli 1:36.493
7. Kovalainen 1:36.512
8. Kubica 1:36.671
9. Fisichella 1:36.671
10. Nakajima 1:36.838
11. Barrichello 1:36.879
12. Rosberg 1:36.908
13. Heidfeld 1:37.106
14. Alonso 1:37.328
15. Piquet 1:37.331
16. Webber 1:37.346
17. Glock 1:37.512
18. Sutil 1:37.614
19. Sato 1:39.021
20. Davidson 1:39.361
21. Bourdais no time
22. Coulthard no time

And about the BBC coverage, Hammond to take over?! Isn't he not that hot with F1?

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/20073ef1-8d27-492c-8766-99f90186e6e7.htm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3593917.ece

Coverage will be influenced by the success of the Jeremy Clarkson-fronted Top Gear when the five-year deal begins next year. Dominic Coles, BBC director of sport rights, said: “When Lewis Hamilton did a test lap on Top Gear it got more viewers than the Brazilian Grand Prix. Bernie was very impressed with the Top Gear proposition and there will be cross-fertilisation between the show and the races.”

Clarkson and James May, Hammond’s co-conspirators, will also join in the grand prix fun but insiders believe “The Hamster” has a special affinity with drivers after his crash.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3594040.ece
“It will be the Martini approach to grands prix,” Dominic Coles, the BBC’s director of sports rights, said. “You can watch it any time, any place, anywhere.”

The BBC, which plans to reinvent Formula One, will employ all the technological advances that have come about since the sport defected to ITV 12 years ago. Races will be screened live on broadband and the coverage will be made available for the next week through the BBC iPlayer.

The corporation is expected to ask independent companies to pitch to produce the show, with a multimedia strategy a vital component of any bid.

Fans stuck on trains should be able to watch races streamed live to their mobile phones, if they are willing to pay the charges. The BBC also expects to employ high definition cameras to bring viewers a sharper picture of the view from behind the wheel.
 
I really hope it isn't Richard Hammond, I also hope they don't go overboard with Top Gear cross-overs. Other than ad-breaks I'm perfectly happy with ITV's coverage when you consider how bad some countries get it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, it's not like we can do anything about it.

I've just watched the practice session highlights on ITV's site and with a 90% chance of rain for qualifying tomorrow it could be another crazy weekend.
 
I think Hammond could make a great host - as long as there isn't much Top Gear style to the show. He's always been the best of the Top Gear hosts as a serious presenter.

But hell, if they'll give me decent HD coverage, Jeremy Clarkson can host the show for all I care.
 
Ferrari looks strong this weekend. As long as they put enough fuel in the damn car anyway...

I really think things like this would have NEVER happened in Schumi or Ross were still in charge.

Whats going on with BMW? Someone should tell them that the sandbagging can stop now, its OK to have a fast car. :lol

I hope there is rain for the GP, I love crazy races! Those new safety car rules are going to create chaos...:D
 
MidiSurf said:
Laugh all you want, but no traction control and Button's smooth driving style = GP victory - if it's a wet race.

The Ferrari's won't finish this grand prix. Massa will be out at the end of the season and Vettel will replace him.
 
Wax Free Vanilla said:
Laugh all you want, but no traction control and Button's smooth driving style = GP victory - if it's a wet race.

The Ferrari's won't finish this grand prix. Massa will be out at the end of the season and Vettel will replace him.

Still... :lol @ Button first.

And Massa has denied info about Vettel replacing him. Ferrari even extended Massa's contract until the end of the 2010.

Raikkonen Will be in top3 maybe even first and Massa will spin in some point. And I will put my money on Barrichello > Button
 
Love back to back F1 weekends!

Hope Ferrari can get their shit together this race. I am pretty happy as a BMW driver to see BMW doing well. Lewis just makes me insanely jealous of his talent. I think he could win it this year if there are no major problems with his car.
 
If things carry on as they have so far, this should be a far better season than I expected. Seems nicely competitive at the top.
 
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